Pages

Monday, April 2, 2012

Holding Back The Day by Jamie Wasserman ~ review

Product Details

Paperback: 270 pages

Publisher: Penumbra Publishing (December 27, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1935563815

ISBN-13: 978-1935563815

About the book from Goodreads:

Claire Vincent is a misunderstood and confused girl who has no friends her own age. The kids at school think she’s weird, and she’d rather be left alone than have to deal with their rude stares and hurtful comments. Her only friend is her bold and adventurous grandmother Millie, who’s traveled the world and done everything from going on safaris to flying planes. Claire wants to be just like her, but that’s much harder for her than anyone realizes. She’s not courageous enough to even try – and so she remains a loner, burying her nose in books and escaping into the imaginative magical worlds she reads about.

But when a new kid, Matt, moves next door, she finds herself slowly drawn into the world of the living, despite her misgivings. Matt would do anything to please her, and she finds herself depending on him for everything – friends, social life, and recognition. But it’s a dependence she eventually grows to despise because it just makes her own weakness that much more apparent. She yearns for more – real magic in her life, to sweep her away from the land of the boring.

When Claire’s father decides to throw her grandmother a surprise seventy-fifth birthday party despite her grandmother’s vehement aversion to celebrating birthdays, Claire finds out that a magical life might not be as desirable as she naïvely believed. An unexpected guest at her grandmother’s party – Jack, a handsome boy new to town – seems to know Gran very well. Claire soon discovers her grandmother has been keeping a very big secret – and that secret might just be the perennially mysterious Jack.

My take on this book:

"Holding Back The Day" by Jamie Wasserman is one of those books that had my emotions all over the place. It's the story of different generations but one man (vampire) is something that both generations have in common. Claire Vincent never really fit in with the kids her own age, she would rather read a book and just be left alone. When Matt moves in next door things change for her, he draws her out, making her a part of his group,and it's very obvious Matt really cares for her. The one person that Claire always felt close to is her brave adventurous grandmother Millie. Millie is someone always willing to take risks, but there is one thing she wont do, and that's celebrate her birthday. When Claire's dad decides to throw a surprise party for her seventy-fifth birthday, a young man named Jack shows up. Turns out Jack is someone from Millie's past. Who is Jack, and what does he want with Millie, and how does Claire fit into the mix?

I really loved the plot twists in this story.I found myself totally drawn into the story by the first chapter, and while the plot grabbed my attention,for me it was the interesting characters that had me anxious to finish this read! The author effortlessly allows us to transition between past and present to get a real glimpse of not only who Jack is but why he is drawn to Millie.I thought Jack's background, and especially the time that he spent with Lazlo was riveting. While I knew what Jack was my feelings wavered between feeling sorry for him,because of his loneliness, but also at times he seemed to be a scary individual. I LOVE vampire fiction and this author has the uncanny ability to put a unique spin on his stories that always leaves me anxious for more. A must read for anyone looking for a fantastic paranormal story.

A complimentary e-copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review, and I can honestly say this is easily the best vampire fiction that I have read in 2012.